Deities
The Deities of Menune The deities of Menune are very powerful and mysterious beings. A deity is commonly defined by a being having or creating a unique power or school of magic, being the source of, or being in possession of great power, and being the ruler of a world of their own. These rules are fairly generalized, and there are some exceptions to these rules. Deities in Menune are often divided into two groups (although there are also some unique exceptions). These groups are: Natural Deities and Unnatural Deities. A Natural Deity is a being who is born from the world itself destined for godhood, rising to power naturally. Elemental Lords are a good example of this. Unnatural Deities are beings that take their positions of godhood in an unnatural way. These beings are often born into chaotic worlds void of any Natural Deity, and use the chaos and conflict of the world to rise to their positions of power. The most common example of this are the Demon Lords of the Menune universe. Demon Lords Demon Lords are the most common form of deity in the Menune universe. What defines a Demon Lord against a natural deity is that they are beings that started off as mortals on their world, and ascended to their positions of godhood through their own deeds, be it through strength and force or guile and cunning. Most Demon Lords are inherently evil, and desire nothing more than to destroy and conquer whatever they possibly can. However, some Demon Lords are exceptions from this, which helps further distinguish them from one-another. The following is a list of all currently known Demon Lords in the Menune universe: * Hetzudoxiel, the God of Death - This Demon Lord is by far the most commonly known on the world of Menune itself. Hetzudoxiel is an immensely powerful and evil being, desiring nothing more than to bring everything in creation into his realm of death. Hetzudoxiel himself is in fact the creator of necromantic magic, and all those that use said form of magic, are tapping into the powers of his very realm. * Xerxulaz, the God of War - Another extremely powerful Demon Lord, and possibly the second-best known on the world of Menune. Xerxulaz has no unique powers, but possesses strength and tactical cunning unheard of in other beings. Xerxulaz also goes by the title of 'The Conqueror' in honor of the countless worlds he has invaded and races he has enlisted into his ever-growing demonic army. Xerxulaz is also known to be fairly honorable for a Demon Lord, choosing never to attack whilst his enemies are unaware, and giving them ample opportunities to surrender. * Danteleon, the Corruptor - A fairly well known, but relatively weak Demon Lord. Danteleon is the one responsible for damning the Dark Elf race to demonic corruption. Danteleon is the father of plague and disease magics, his home world is a twisted expanse of rotting fortresses dotted about a massive ocean of liquid plague, which he and his followers revel in using to torture their captives in their massive island prisons. Danteleon is also known as the Deceiver, a title which he has well earned after persuading so many unsuspecting races to join into his demonic pacts. * Thag, the Beast Lord - Thag is a very primal, chaotic deity who lords over the beasts and beast-men of the universe. He enjoys sending his followers into ravenous bloodlusts, simply to cause as much chaos and destruction as possible. Thag is a relatively unknown Demon Lord to the people of Menune, this is mostly because the Beast Lord's follower's can't speak a word of the common tongue. Those who fall victim to Thag's hordes will often simply blame it on the wild, mindless nature of the beings in question. * Etanoth, the Changebringer - Etanoth is an enigma amongst the Demon Lords of the Menune universe. Unlike the others, the Prince of Change is not an evil nor chaotic being, merely a curious one. The only thing Etanoth himself has in common with the other Demon Lords, is that like the others he is not a natural deity, but simply used his great cunning and intellect to rise to the position of god on his world. Etanoth and his Changeling followers desire nothing more than to continue their transmutational experiments in the pursuit of knowledge. Elemental Lords Elemental Lords Natural Deities which embody the different forces of nature on their respective worlds. These beings are very rarely evil in nature, but can often be very chaotic. Mages, shaman and other spellcasters on the world of Menune will very often always tap into the power of these beings in one way or another to power their magics. Elemental Lords are natural deities, beings that are born from the world itself destined for godhood. The following is a list of all currently known Elemental Lords in the Menune universe: * Khaarzuk, the Stonefather - This being is by far the most well known of the Elemental Lords on Menune, although he is very rarely known by his true name. The Dwarves of Dwemalar largely worship this being in the form of 'the Stone' and tap into the powers of his domain very frequently. The Stonefather is a very strong, proud and unbelievably ancient being who lords over the powers of the earth from his subterranean domain. Demigods These beings are not true gods, as they do not lord over an entire world or control any magical powers unique to themselves. However, these are still immensely powerful creatures, and are worshiped as gods by their followers regardless. Some of these Demigods are born from true Deities, others are simply beings that have gained immense amounts of power in some way, enough for them to be considered a godlike being. The following is a list of all currently known Demigods of the Menune universe: * Wyrmakk Dragon God - Every century, the Dragon Lords of the Wyrmakk Isles assign a new leader known as a Dragon God. In order to show loyalty, each Lord must bestow a fraction of their power upon the appointed god. A Dragon Lord may only ascend to a Dragon God once in their life, and once a century has passed, they must allow one of their fellow Lords to posses the power. The current Dragon God of Wyrmakk is: Ornesius. * Ketsueki, the Mistress of Blood - Born from the Endless Growth innumerable ages ago, what would come to be known as Ketsueki drifted through the dark void for millennia until arriving upon the world of Menune. Ketsueki's shapeless form crashed into the world, landing somewhere in the south of Narador. Over the centuries, mortals wandering Narador's depths have stumbled upon Ketsueki unwittingly, and over time it became worshiped as a god to those who knew of it's existence. Over the time of being worshiped as a god, Ketsueki has slowly been gaining more consciousness, ego, and power... Unique Deities This section of the article will cover the deities of the Menune universe that don't fall under any other categories. * Kronos, the Devourer - Kronos is an ancient name only ever heard from the whispers of the mad or the dying. Often thought by most to just be a complete myth, though the truth is far more terrifying than anyone could ever realize. Kronos is an immeasurably powerful and evil being who knows only one thing; to consume. Kronos is the physical embodiment of the dark unseen void. Countless worlds have fallen in his wake and it will never stop. For every other deity that Kronos devours it grows more strong, and the stronger it gets, the more it must feed... * The Endless Growth - Very few mortals have ever laid eyes upon the Endless Growth, and even fewer still realize what it truly is; a monstrous, planet-sized mass of flesh, blood, sinew and organs that aimlessly floats throughout the great void. As it's name implies, the Endless Growth never stops growing, and over time, chunks of the behemoth will simply eject from itself as it continues to expand. No one knows if this being has a consciousness, or if it's even aware of it's own existence. The Endless Growth is a true enigma of the Menune universe, and to anyone that has even laid eyes upon it, they simply see it as they see all other celestial objects; a speck of dust in an eternal sea of black.